This document, Preparing for a Changing Climate: Washington State’sIntegrated Climate Change Response Strategy offers recommendations on how existing state policies and programs canbetter prepare Washington State to respond to the impacts of climate change.It urges state agencies to make adaptation a standard part of agency planningand to make scientific information about climate change impacts accessible topublic and private-sector decision makers. It also recommends that state agenciesstrengthen existing efforts to help local and tribal governments, private and publicorganizations, and individuals reduce their vulnerability to climate change. Theresponse strategy underscores the need to build strong partnerships to supportstate, local, and tribal adaptation; coordinate activities across sectors; and engagestakeholders and the public.

Ecology prepared this response strategy in collaboration with the state departmentsof Agriculture, Commerce, Fish and Wildlife, Health, Natural Resources, and Transportation. A broadrange of stakeholders with policy, management, and scientific expertise participated in four advisorygroups and developed a set of recommendations for near- and long-term actions to prepare Washingtonfor a changing climate. (See Appendix A for advisory group members and Appendix B for advisory grouprecommendations.) This response strategy builds on, summarizes, and integrates the recommendationsof the four advisory groups. It also draws on the best available science on the impacts of climate changeon Washington from the Washington Climate Change Impacts Assessment and other key sources, aswell as Washington’s initial adaptation plan developed in 2008 under Executive Order 07-02.

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